* ?October 6, 2008 -
Experts
spill the beans about upsurge - The News International, Pakistan -
"'No vaccine can give more than 60 to 80 per cent assurance against a
bacterial or viral disease. If a child who has diarrhoea is
administered polio drops, the vaccine will not raise the child’s
immunity level as diarrhoea reduces the absorptive capacity for all
substances in the gastrointestinal tract,' another expert pointed out."

* ?October 6, 2008 -
Slow
uptake of vaccine against cervical cancer - Medical centres say
uptake of a new free vaccination against cervical cancer has been low.
- Radio New Zealand - "But less than 10% of those eligible have had the
vaccine....She also believes some are being put off by recent negative
stigma associated with the Meningococcal B vaccine."

* ?October 6, 2008 -
NZ hearing
on GM flu vaccine tomorrow - Horsetalk, NZ - "The New Zealand
Racing Board and New Zealand Equine Health Association want to import
Proteqflu and Proteqflu Te vaccines, both of which contain genetically
modified canarypox virus....The New Zealand Green Party has voiced its
opposition to the vaccine, arguing it would endanger the country's
GM-free status."

?October 5, 2008 -
Benefit
held for children with autism (includes video) - Capital News 9 -
"Lisa Carey remembers her son Jonathan for the special boy he was.
Since his death in 2007, the Carey”s have held an annual walk in their
son's name."

* ?October 5, 2008 -
Autism
in need of urgent focus - Jamaica Gleaner - "The number of
Jamaicans living with autism is on the rise. Leading professor in the
field in Jamaica, Dr Maureen Samms-Vaughn, confirmed two years ago that
the numbers had increased from approximately two diagnoses per year in
the 1970s to 40 per year in 2006. She restated this in a recent
television interview."

* ?October 5, 2008 -
Flu
plus staph is killing more kids - AP via Chicago Sun-Times - "More
children have died from flu because they also had staph infections,
according to a new government report that urges parents to have their
kids get the flu shot."

?October 5, 2008 -
Some
flu vaccine delayed in Tehama - Redding Record Searchlight -
"Tehama County's shipment of flu vaccine for pregnant women and very
young children has been delayed and won't be available at the county's
first flu clinics."

* ?October 5, 2008 -
Parents
can fret needlessly over fever - USA Today - "That fear sells a lot
of acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin). Those are safe and
effective drugs when used at proper doses, pediatricians say. But, like
all drugs, they can be toxic at too high a dose. And some researchers
worry that routine overuse might produce unforeseen harm. One
hypothesis: Acetaminophen use might be linked to rising rates of asthma
worldwide."

* ?October 5, 2008 -
Bluetongue
jab take-up 'too low' - The number of farmers vaccinating their
livestock against the bluetongue virus is "depressingly low", an expert
says. - BBC - "One of the key reasons for the poor use of vaccine
appears to be ill-founded complacency about the high ongoing risk posed
by bluetongue, made worse by unsubstantiated rumours about the safety
of the vaccine."

* ?October 5, 2008 - FDA
Will Rewrite Rules For Marketing for Children - The Food and Drug
Administration will rewrite decades-old federal regulations governing
how over-the-counter cold and cough medicines are marketed to children
amid concerns over whether the products are safe and effective. -
Exploring Vaccines

* ?October 5, 2008 - Testimonies
recommend special-needs legislation - Daily Local News - "When
parents of special-needs children and school districts cannot work out
issues through mediation, the next step is generally due process. When
due process is held pursuant to the federal Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the burden of proof is currently
placed on the parents of special-needs children. Previously, the burden
of proof had been on the school district. But in the 2005 "Scaffer v
Weast," the United States Supreme Court placed the burden of proof on
parents."

?October 5, 2008 - The
new war against TB - The emergence of a devastating drug-resistant
strain means that tuberculosis now kills more of us than malaria.
Award-winning photographer James Nachtwey travelled from Siberian
prisons to Cambodian clinics to document the battle against this
'virtually untreatable' and deadliest of diseases - The Observer, UK
via The Guardian, UK

* ?October 4, 2008 - Influenza
scientists, WHO face off in virus data row - The China Post - "
Some foreign governments called for a boycott of the global body’s
55-year-old virus-sharing system, which had obliged them to freely hand
over samples and data. The problem with that system, they say, is that
developing countries give up intellectual property rights to their
virus samples when they provide them to the WHO. The virus samples are
then used by private pharmaceutical companies to make vaccines that are
awarded patents — and sold at a profit at prices many poor nations
can’t afford."

* ?October 4, 2008 - Use
of prescription drugs for kids soars - The number of Victorian
children being prescribed drugs to treat hyperactivity disorders is
spiralling, with a staggering 67,000 prescriptions handed out by
doctors last year. - Herald Sun, AU

?October 4, 2008 - Justices
Return to Work, With Less Meaty Docket (requires registration) -
The New York Times - "Wyeth v. Levine, No. 06-1249, concerns only
implied pre-emption and is perhaps the most important business case of
the term. Wyeth, a drug company, seeks to overturn a Vermont jury award
of more than $6 million to Diana Levine, a musician who lost much of
her right arm in a medical disaster caused by the injection of a Wyeth
anti-nausea drug. Wyeth argues that it cannot be sued because it had
complied with federal safety standards."

* ?October 3, 2008 - $3.2
Billion Child Health Study To Begin In January - U.S. National
Institutes of Health via redOrbit - "The comprehensive study will
examine hereditary and environmental factors such as exposure to
certain chemicals that affect health."

* ?October 3, 2008 - UM
to lead Florida portion of a major kids' health study - The
University of Miami med school is one of the key research sites in a
pioneering national study that will examine children's health from
birth to 21. - Miami Herald - "Autism: The CDC estimates that one in
150 8-year-old U.S. children has an autism spectrum disorder, making up
about 560,000 individuals from birth to 21. The number is up from
previous decades, possibly because a broader definition of ASD. Some
parents believe, despite disagreement from many doctors, that autism
might be associated with childhood vaccinations."

* ?October 3, 2008 - Emory’s
Nervous Nemeroff Reacts To A Probe - Pharmalot - "Why were they so
anxious? The Senate committee is, in fact, investigating Nemeroff,
congressional sources tell us, over his alleged failure to tell Emory
about $500,000 in payments from Glaxo while he was also the primary
investigator for an NIH study of the Paxil antidepressant. We asked
Emory’s Molter whether the university has been contacted by the
committee about Nemeroff, but he has yet to return our call. Meanwhile,
here are the e-mails…"

* ?October 3, 2008 - Why
Grassley Is Investigating Emory’s Nemeroff - Pharmalot - "The
reason - the psychiatry department chair at Emory University earned
more than $2.8 million in consulting arrangements with various
drugmakers between 2000 and 2007, but failed to report at least $1.2
million of this income to his university. This oversight violated
federal research rules, a point that is central to a widening probe of
some 30 academic researchers by the Senate Finance Committee."

* ?October 3, 2008 - Rescue
Bill Contains A Gift For Drugmakers - Pharmalot - "This little
chunk of legislative verbiage renews a federal tax credit for corporate
R&D, which had expired last year. Now, though, the credit is
revived, because it’s retroactive to this past January 1. Why does this
matter? Well, had the credit been in place this year, corporate
earnings would have benefited from lower tax rates. Of course, we are
now in this year’s fourth quarter, so the retroactive credit can give
drug and device makers a nice earnings boost. And they stand to get a
lift next year as well, since the credit was extended through December
31, 2009."

* ?October 3, 2008 - What
physicians want is not what they are going to get from biopharma -
World of DTC Maketing - "When asked the question of what physicians
would like to see “more” or “less” of with sales representatives in
order to receive more value, 85% noted that they wanted “more” or
“significantly more” higher-quality representatives (defined as more
highly trained, “specialty type” representatives). Perhaps most telling
was the number of unprompted concerns about increasing the quality of
sales representatives, where #96 out of #205 comments (47%) around how
biopharma companies could increase representative value spoke to
increased quality of sales representatives. The next most mentioned
topic for increasing value in unprompted mentions was at #45 (or
22%)—requesting more use of clinical studies and evidence-based
medicine in sales calls."

* ?October 3, 2008 - Disabilities
in Childhood - WSOCTV.com - "According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, about 17 percent of children under 18 have some
type of developmental disability. Many of these children will require
some kind of care throughout their lives."

* ?October 3, 2008 - Thompson
Center receives $1 million grant - The money will enhance the Rapid
Response project. - The Maneater - "This grant was awarded from the
Combating Autism Act of 2006 funds. The money will help diagnose and
treat children with autism spectrum disorder throughout the state."

* ?October 2, 2008 -
John
Battle High School Student Hospitalized With Meningitis Improving -
Bristol Herald Courier via TriCities.com - "Shelly Sallie, Tyler’s
mother, said the illness started with MRSA, methicillin-resistant
staphylococcus aureus, a drug-resistant staph infection, which she said
he contracted through a bug bite on his arm; this was the source of the
bacterial meningitis attacking his nervous system, she added."

?October 2, 2008 -
Autism
awareness forum (includes video) - News 10 Now - "Syracuse, N.Y. --
The state legislature is holding a series of forums across the state to
find ways to help families and professionals dealing with autism."

?September 29, 2008 -
Autism charity features images of bullying - The National Autistic
Society has launched its first campaign featuring images of people with
autism being bullied. (requires registration) - Third Sector

?September 28, 2008 - Chicago's
toxic air - Chicago-area residents face some of the highest risk of
getting sick from pollution, but the EPA isn't making it widely known -
Chicago Tribune

?September 9, 2008 - Training
bottleneck for flood of doctors - Deans of Australia's 18 medical
schools have warned of a possible healthcare crisis if nothing is done
to increase hospital training opportunities for the hundreds of extra
students entering the system. - The Australian

?Forum
on Vaccines: Addressing all sides of the issue - Understanding
parental concerns, policy decisions and finding common ground. Please
join us on Thursday, October 23, 2008 for an important presentation and
conversation on the most controversial medical issue in decades. -
Hackensack NJ...RSVP: Required By October 8th, 2008 (pdf) - The Deirdre
Imus Environmental Center

*
?October 5, 2008 -
Officials
suspended for ‘detecting polio cases’ - The News International,
Pakistan - "However, the affected officials alleged that they had been
penalised for detecting polio cases during their health and nutrition
campaign in schools in Sargodha district. The issue has raised warning
that polio cases in Punjab may have been under-reported to hide failure
to control the alarming spread of polio virus in Punjab this year."

?October 5, 2008 -
A
public health scare, a PR failure - The FDA did little to allay
fears this week that it was mishandling the tainted milk scandal, but
the WHO says it acted properly - Bangkok Post

?October 5, 2008 -
Microsoft
boss helps out Scottish farming charity - Veterinary group in
£16 million boost to help fight Third World disease - Sunday
Herald, UK - "Setting a target to develop, register and launch at least
six vaccines, medicines or diagnostic products designed to combat some
of the most debilitating livestock diseases by 2015, the organisation
has been unique in its focus on how improving animal health could
transform human welfare and prosperity."

* ?October 4, 2008 -
Attorney
general turns up heat in seeking promotion for Guard officer -
Journal Inquirer - "Attorney General Richard Blumenthal last week sent
another letter to Gov. Jodi Rell asking her to posthumously promote
former Air Force National Guard officer Russell Dingle of East
Hartford. Blumenthal sent the letter Sept. 26, two days after a story
in the Journal Inquirer cited evidence that Dingle was forced to resign
from the National Guard in 1999 after he disputed the military’s policy
concerning mandatory anthrax vaccinations."

?October 4, 2008 -
Heartfelt
gift will help those with autism - The Greenville News - "So on
Thursday, Lisa and Bob Castellani donated $2 million to the Greenville
Hospital System University Medical Center's Children's Hospital to
launch a comprehensive autism program that will address early
diagnosis, treatment, whole-family support, research and community
outreach."

* ?October 4, 2008 -
Kids
Olympics reward for immunizations - The Prince Albert Daily Herald
- "Laughter and cheers filled the Bernice Sayese Centre Friday as kids
ran races and obstacle courses as part of the first Kids Olympics
hosted by the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region's public health
unit. 'Public health is involved because the children have to be fully
updated with their immunizations to participate,' said Coleen Brooks,
public health nurse."

* ?October 3, 2008 -
Top
Psychiatrist Didn’t Report Drug Makers’ Pay (requires registration)
- The New York Times - "One of the nation’s most influential
psychiatrists earned more than $2.8 million in consulting arrangements
with drug makers from 2000 to 2007, failed to report at least $1.2
million of that income to his university and violated federal research
rules, according to documents provided to Congressional investigators."

* ?October 3, 2008 -
Rethinking
Who Should Be Considered 'Essential' During A Pandemic Flu Outbreak
- Not only are doctors, nurses, and firefighters essential during a
severe pandemic influenza outbreak. So, too, are truck drivers,
communications personnel, and utility workers. That's the conclusion of
a Johns Hopkins University article to be published in the journal of
Biosecurity and Bioterrorism. - Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of
Bioethics via ScienceDaily

?October 3, 2008 -
Nigeria’s
Day of Shame - Newswatch Magazine, Nigeria - "One pertinent
question many Nigerians have continued to ask is: Why is it very
difficult to kick polio out of Nigeria as other developing countries
have successfully done in spite of our annual immunisation campaigns
over the years."

* ?October 2, 2008 -
Parents
Urge Passage of Bill to Require Autism Coverage - Insurers Would
Pay for Treatment (requires registration) - Washington Post - "A
busload of Loudoun County parents traveled to Richmond on Monday to
speak before a state panel considering a bill that would require health
insurers to cover treatment for children with autism."

?September 24, 2008 -
Influenza Vaccine Recommended For More Americans Than Ever Before
--The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases brings together
leading health experts to urge annual flu vaccine for nearly 85 percent
of Americans -- Some influenza vaccine is already available in the U.S.
Enough vaccine will be available so that anyone who wants to decrease
their risk of flu can get vaccinated. --Survey finds many doctors not
talking to patients about getting their flu vaccines --Experts stress
importance of pneumococcal vaccination for everyone 65 years of age and
older (includes audio and video) - press release - PRNewswire

* ?September 23, 2008 -
AERs:
supplements 604 – drugs 450,000 - There have been 604 adverse event
reports (AERs) – including five deaths – in six months, according to
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which implemented the system
last year. - Nutraingredients-USA.com

* ?October 4, 2008 -
DNA
Of Good Bacteria Drives Intestinal Response To Infection - A new
study shows that the DNA of so-called "good bacteria" that normally
live in the intestines may help defend the body against infection. -
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases via
ScienceDaily

?October 3, 2008 -
Medical
Edge: Flu shot is safe during pregnancy - Tribune Media Services
via Post-Bulletin - "DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Is it safe to get a flu shot
during pregnancy? Should I avoid vaccines in general until after my
baby is born?"

* ?October 3, 2008 -
Why
I won't let my girls have these cancer jabs - As thousands of young
girls across Sussex undergo a series of jabs to protect them against
cervical cancer, one mother has urged parents to educate themselves
about the risks involved. Reporter Samuel Underwood talks to her about
why she is concerned about the vaccine and why her daughters will not
been immunised. - TheArgus.co.uk

* ?October 3, 3008 - Crucell
gets $70 million US contract for vaccines - AP via Forbes - "Dutch
biotechnology company Crucell NV said Friday it received a contract
worth up to $70 million from the National Institutes of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases to develop a vaccine for both the Ebola and Marburg
viruses."

* ?October 3, 2008 - Hayek
fighting tetanus in mums, babies - Sky News, AU - "Hollywood mom
Salma Hayek is lending her star power to a UNICEF campaign to eradicate
tetanus in mothers and babies around the world within four years."

* ?October 3, 2008 - Life
sciences: positive signs in a down economy - MHT (The Journal of New England Technology)
- "Swiss drug developer Novartis AG opened its much-anticipated 80,000
square-foot facility called the Novartis Research Center of Excellence
in Virology at 45 Sidney St. in Cambridge. Once fully staffed, it is
expected to house 150 new employees by late 2009. The center is
designated a biosafety level 3 research facility."

* ?October 2, 2008 - A
Lifeline For Military Families - Mount Vernon Gazette - "The cost
savings from autism treatment is clear, according to Moran and Miller.
A Harvard School of Public Health report found that without effective
intervention, approximately 90 percent of individuals with ASD require
lifelong care costing an estimated $3.2 million over an individual
child's lifetime. ABA therapy has been shown to be effective in
reducing this cost to less than 50 percent and reducing the cost of
lifelong care by two-thirds."

* ?October 2, 2008 - Emory’s
Nemeroff Chafes At Funding Questions - Pharmalot - "You may recall
that Chuck Grassley, the commitee’s ranking Republican, is probing
pharma and NIH funding given academic researchers - particularly
psychiatrists - and whether any conflicts are properly disclosed. So
far, the committee has singled out Stanford University’s
Alan
Schatzberg, Harvard University’s
Joe
Biederman, Brown University’s
Martin
Keller, University of Texas’
Karen
Wagner and
John
Rush, and
Melissa
DelBello at the University of Cincinnati.
Charles
Nemeroff, the well-known psychiatry chairman at Emory University,
has not made the list, but the school appears, nonetheless, to be
concerned about any ties between his department and pharma."

* ?October 2, 2008 - FDA
Tackles Image Problem With Tainted PR Deal - Pharmalot - "How’s
this for common sense? Seeking to hone its tarnished image after
getting beaten up for tainted food and drug safety, the FDA decided to
hire a contractor for a public relations campaign that would “create
and foster a lasting positive public image of the agency for the
American public,” according to The Washington Post."

* ?October 2, 2008 - Doctors
oppose EU pharmaceutical plans - Dutch News - "Plans by the
European Commission to give pharmaceutical companies a greater role in
regulating medicine safety and allowing them to get in touch directly
with patients will increase the risk to patients, say Dutch doctors’
organisations."

* ?October 1, 2008 - Parents
With Doubts About Vaccines: Which Vaccines and Reasons Why -
journal article (Pediatrics) -
"The largest proportions of unsure and refused parents chose varicella
vaccine as the vaccine prompting their concern, whereas delayed parents
most often reported "not a specific vaccine" as the vaccine prompting
their concern. Most parents who delayed vaccines for their child did so
for reasons related to their child's illness, unlike the unsure and
refused parents. The largest proportion of parents who changed their
minds about delaying or not getting a vaccination for their child
listed "information or assurances from health care provider" as the
main reason."

* ?October 1, 2008 - Whooping
cough kills northwest Illinois resident - Chicago Tribune -
"Illinois Department of Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said Thursday
that the person died in early September. She declined to identify the
victim or say how old they were or where they lived."

* ?October 1, 2008 - Lawsuit
over antidepressant headed to trial - The Daily Record -
"Pharmaceutical giant Wyeth, which filed the patent infringement suit,
and Lupin Ltd., which wants to market a generic form of the
extended-release capsules, filed cross-motions for summary judgment in
U.S. District Court in Baltimore. Wyeth is suing Baltimore-based Lupin
Pharmaceuticals Inc. as well as its parent company, Lupin Ltd., based
in Mumbai, India."

* ?October 1, 2008 - Medical
Emergencies Occurring at School - journal article (Pediatrics) - "In February2001,
the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statementtitled
"Guidelines for Emergency Medical Care in Schools" (availableat:
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;107/2/435).Since the release of that statement, the spectrum of potential
individual student emergencies has changed significantly. The
increase in the number of children with special health careneeds
and chronic medical conditions attending schools and thechallenges
associated with ensuring that schools have accessto
on-site licensed health care professionals on an ongoingbasis
have added to increasing the risks of medical emergenciesin
schools."

"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."

-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820

“A sacred cow will not protect the herd.”

-- Sandy Gottstein

"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"

-- Sandy Gottstein

"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"